


The Titan Code

by Mice



Series: Sea Change [4]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Humor, M/M, Sea Voyage, h/c, post-Shadows Rising, two idiots in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:54:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25956322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mice/pseuds/Mice
Summary: When Sir Finley Mrrgglton of the Explorer's League comes to hire Flynn and his crew on an expedition into uncharted waters, trouble follows.
Relationships: Flynn Fairwind/Mathias Shaw
Series: Sea Change [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875685
Comments: 74
Kudos: 102





	1. An Unexpected Guest

**Author's Note:**

> beta thanks to JaguarMirror and Hippocrates460. While I have been in the Navy, I've never crewed a sailing ship, so this isn't necessarily going to be the most accurate age of sail depiction.

Flynn and Mathias were just settling in for dinner after a long, tiring day, when a knock sounded at the door. Mathias grumbled and started to rise, but Flynn stood first. "I'll get it. If it's not life and death, I'll send them off with a bug in their ear. You've been too busy this week." 

Mathias sighed with relief and nodded, sinking back into his chair, shoulders slumped and head bowed. "Thanks. The last thing I need tonight is another emergency."

Flynn stomped to the door, pasting an irritated frown on his face, just in case the stomping didn't already make it clear enough that interruptions weren't welcome at this hour. Bracing himself with a deep breath, he swung the door open.

Nobody was there. "Huh?"

The sound of a clearing throat rose from about knee level. Flynn looked down.

At a murloc. A murloc wearing a pith helmet. And… a monocle? He blinked at the murloc.

"Mathias!" he squeaked, "I'm hallucinating!"

He heard Mathias get up from the table and hurry in his direction as the hallucination gurgled, "Good evening. I am Sir Finley Mrrgglton of the Explorer's League, and I am seeking a certain Captain Fairwind. I was told he could be found at this domicile."

Mathias got to the door and laid a hand on Flynn's shoulder. "Flynn?"

"Murloc!" Flynn pointed. He'd met the occasional murloc freebooter, but he'd never met one that actually spoke Common. This was weird. Very, very weird.

Mathias stood next to Flynn at the door, his arm around Flynn's waist. He looked down. "You… must be Sir Finley."

Befuddled, Flynn's brow wrinkled. "Wait, you know him?"

"We've never been formally introduced," the murloc said. He looked up at Mathias. "You would be Master Shaw, I take it."

"Er, yes. And this is Captain Fairwind."

"Superb!" Sir Finley gurgled, with an entirely too toothy grin. "May I come in? I have business to discuss with the Captain."

"I'm not hallucinating?" Flynn said, blinking again. Mathias elbowed him. "Sorry, sorry. Come in." The two of them stood back from the door and the murloc entered, finding himself a seat.

"I do apologize. It appears I've interrupted your evening repast, but I've come with a commission from the Explorer's League on a mission from Magni Bronzebeard himself."

They followed him into their main room and sat at the table. "The Speaker sent you?" Flynn asked. Mathias rested one elbow on the table top. Flynn eyed Mrrgglton, deciding that he'd eat before dinner got cold. Wouldn't do to let the murloc snag his dinner.

"The League is in search of an uncharted island north of Kul Tiras, somewhere off the coast of Northrend, far from the sea lanes. We believe that this is the ultimate resting place of an access code for a piece of Titan technology." The murloc pulled a scroll out of his backpack. He held it up. 

Mathias cleared some space at the table so that Mrrgglton could lay out the scroll. "What kind of technology?" he asked, his brow wrinkled. Flynn could see the worry radiating from his tense shoulders.

Sir Finley pulled his chair over to the table, and climbed onto it to roll out the parchment, a little too close to Flynn's dinner for comfort. He pulled his plate out of the way and looked at the parchment with interest.

"We're uncertain," Sir Finley said. "Hence, our search for the code. The artifact itself, found buried under the sands of Uldum two weeks ago, is far too large to move, so we must find the code and bring it back. Unfortunately, the fact that we've discovered it has attracted the attention of the Horde. We believe they're also sending a team in search of this elusive key."

The parchment bore a map of the northern part of Azeroth with a large circle and a question mark in the middle of the sea, far from any continent. Notes were scrawled in a language he didn't recognize, with arrows pointing to different places, and indications of prevailing currents.

"Belloc Brightblade and The Reliquary are after it as well?" Mathias asked.

Sir Finley shrugged, a strange little ripple of muscle. "We don't think Brightblade is directly involved. He's much more likely to send underlings. He's not inclined to get his own hands dirty, particularly if there's an actual fight on the horizon. Not a terribly sporting chap, really."

"Sounds dangerous," Flynn said, uneasy but excited by the prospect of some genuine exploration. "Uncharted islands and the like, Tides only know what's out there. The League usually pays well, but I think this calls for hazard pay for me and my crew. Damages if the _Bold Arva_ has to be repaired." She'd taken damage in Zandalar that had left her seaworthy but in need of some time in drydock in Boralus, which was why Flynn was still ashore at all. Well, that and Mathias. Definitely Mathias. Because he _should_ have been personally supervising the repair work, but his new First Mate was on top of it and Flynn deserved a little time for himself. And Mathias.

Sir Finley gave a broad, fishy grin. Flynn managed to avoid shuddering at the sheer toothiness of it. The murloc rolled up the scroll and tucked it away. "I am quite delighted to learn of your interest. You came quite highly recommended, Captain. I believe, however, that I've taken enough of your time for tonight. We can begin contract negotiations tomorrow."

"I'll look forward to it," Flynn said, cheerful. Much as he enjoyed being with Mathias, much as he _needed_ it, he'd been ashore for nearly a month since the Zandalar mission and was itching to have the sea moving beneath him again. "Meet me here after lunch and we'll talk details."

The murloc hopped down from the chair, proffering a teeny red hand. Flynn bent down to shake it, a bit surprised it wasn't… moist. He saw Sir Finley out and closed the door. "That," Flynn said, "was really, really weird." He resisted the urge to wipe his hand on something.

"Not the strangest thing I've ever seen," Matthias answered. He sat at the table and started in on his probably nearly cold dinner, still looking like he needed a couple of days worth of sleep. "We should go and talk to Anduin tomorrow morning, before you meet with Mrrgglton."

"I suppose he'd want to know about the whole Titan artifact thing if he doesn't already," Flynn said, nodding.

Mathias grunted through a mouthful of food. "The potential for Horde involvement concerns me," he said, pointing his fork at Flynn after he swallowed. "That far from any known territory? If you run into them, there's no telling how they'll react. The Reliquary may well want revenge for Arlethal Sunwatcher's death during the war. If they think they can get it without being under anyone's eye..."

"You're worried about me." Flynn smiled and pulled his chair next to Mathias's.

"I'm worried about the Horde." Mathias arched an eyebrow at him and stuffed another forkful into his mouth.

"But also about me." Flynn's smile broadened. 

Mathias stared at him for a moment as he chewed and swallowed. "Okay. Yes. Also about you. You do have a habit of getting yourself into trouble."

"That I get out of!" Flynn insisted. "But it's sweet of you to worry." He leaned in and nuzzled Mathias's cheek.

"Sweet," Mathias snorted, elbowing Flynn. "The King will need to know about this. There should be an SI:7 presence on the mission."

"I thought you didn't like sailing much."

With a sigh, Mathias put his fork down. "I don't. But I'm not thrilled with the idea of you and your crew and a murloc facing down whatever the Horde will be throwing at this problem. I'd prefer you didn't go alone."

"The _Arva_ 's got a good crew," Flynn said. "Hardy sea dogs, the lot of them."

"You had to replace almost everyone after Zandalar. Melli was only on loan from the Admiralty."

Flynn shrugged. "It's like that with sailors, Mathias. If you're not in the navy or with a big trading company and assigned to a vessel, you sign on for a voyage. If we'd sailed again a few days after you got back, most of them would have stayed, except for Melli. People move on. They've families to visit, or money to spend, and they're off on the next tide. I hand picked the new crew myself. Most of them I've sailed with before, and the ones I haven't were recommended by people I trust."

Mathias's brow wrinkled. "You don't trust anyone."

"About most things? No. But I trust you, and I trust my sources to know the best hands looking for a berth. It's easy to confirm who knows the ropes and who's good in a fight, anyway. Who won't stab you in the back is a different beast entirely." His history with Harlan Sweete had taught him that in a very up close and personal way. "I spread the word in every port in Kul Tiras and the Eastern Kingdoms, and a few beyond as well. That said, I won't object to sharing a bunk with you on the journey." He grinned, knowing what it did to the man.

Mathias had been good company, if a bit sour from time to time, on the Zandalar mission. It had been nice to have someone to share the cabin with, someone to talk to. The Spymaster didn't really have what you'd call sea legs, but he'd done his best. In the end it had netted Flynn a lover, and he would never complain about that.

Mathias yawned, covering his mouth with one hand. "Speaking of bunks…"

"Go to bed, you lazy lout. I'll deal with this mess." Flynn gestured at the dishes. They'd fallen into an informal 'you cooked, I'll clean' arrangement when they didn't eat out, but Mathias had been run so ragged by the last week that Flynn just wanted him to get some rest. It was a stark sign of how rough it had been when Mathias didn't offer even a token objection. He leaned down over the table and kissed his lover. "I'll join you soon."

Mathias gazed up at him with sleepy green eyes. "Mmm. Good." He levered himself up from his seat with a sigh and went to the bedroom. Flynn watched him walk away, not even pretending not to appreciate the man's lovely ass. "No need to ogle," Mathias said without turning around. Flynn still couldn't quite get over the whole eyes in the back of his head thing Mathias did. "The sooner you come to bed, the sooner you can have what I know you want." The smirk in his voice was obvious even from across the room.

"Fast as a gnome on jitterweed," Flynn chirped, grinning as he turned his attention to cleaning up.

In the promised blink of an eye, Flynn finished up and went to join Mathias, tossing clothes everywhere as he went. Mathias was already abed, heavy-lidded eyes on him as he slid under the covers. Flynn covered the man with his body and hugged him.

"Mmm." Mathias kissed him and wrapped his arms around Flynn. He ran one hand gently up and down Flynn's back. "You could have left that."

"Not if we're going to the Keep in the morning. Won't have time for anything tomorrow but that and getting things ready for the voyage. Neither will you. You need a scullery maid," Flynn grumbled.

"Don't have a scullery." Mathias chuckled. He tangled his legs with Flynn's.

"Barkeep. Tavern wench. Magical blood elf dish brush. Whatever."

"I thought that was why I had you?" Mathias said, laughing.

Flynn raised an affronted eyebrow. "I beg your pardon, Master Shaw. I'm here to screw you until your brains leak out your ears, in case you've forgotten."

Mathias slapped Flynn's ass. "I don't see any fucking happening." He grinned, tired, but obviously getting frisky.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Flynn grinned back.

"That is indeed how it--" Mathias gasped and closed his eyes, tilting his head back into the pillow when Flynn reached between them, grabbed his cock, and gave it a friendly squeeze. "Ohh, yes." He was already half hard in Flynn's fist, which was a very good sign. Flynn wasn't there yet, but he was definitely interested. 

Flynn kissed him, slipping his tongue into Mathias's mouth as he stroked him gently. Mathias's hands dragged slowly up Flynn's back and into his long hair, fingers tangling in it. He made lovely, quiet sounds of pleasure until Flynn separated their lips for a breath. "What do you need?" Flynn whispered.

Mathias's eyes fluttered half-open, resting on him with affection. Tides, Flynn loved that. "Want to feel you in me," he murmured. "Just slow and easy."

"Get you off and let you sleep."

Mathias nodded and smiled. They didn't really have any kind of rule about who did what to whom. It was all about how they felt at any given time, and Flynn could see that tonight Mathias needed to relax. Wanted to feel. Sometimes it was the other way round, and Flynn was just as happy either way because being with Mathias -- he'd never had anything like this with anyone else. Flynn leaned over and reached under the bed, where they kept a bottle with something slippery in it.

He slathered the slick on Mathias's cock and his bollocks, and his own for good measure, then ran his slippery fingers between his lover's cheeks, slowly pushing one inside him. Mathias nearly purred, his back arching, and he wrapped his legs around Flynn's waist. "Please." His voice was liquid and languid, and he sighed as Flynn opened him, slow and careful.

By the time Mathias was ready, so was Flynn, and he slid his cock slowly into his lover, a little at a time. Mathias moaned and shuddered, clutching at Flynn's shoulders. "Yes," he whispered, eyes closed again. Flynn knew it was so he could focus on the sensation of being filled. "Ohhh, more."

Flynn leaned his weight into it, letting himself sink into Mathias's tight, heated body. "Whatever you need," he promised, loving how Mathias felt around him. Flynn dragged a hand over Mathias's chest, trailing his fingers through the coppery hair, his palm sliding over one taut nipple.

Mathias gasped again, his eyes opening into lazy green slits. "Beautiful," he sighed.

Flynn smiled fondly and chuckled. "One of my finer features, I'm told."

"Ass." The insult was affectionate and slightly slurred.

"You do have a glorious one. I'm enjoying it immensely." 

"Shut up." Mathias tugged Flynn's face down and kissed him, moaning and rolling his hips as Flynn fucked him, thrusting slow and deep. He took his time, slowly building the need that echoed between them.

It felt good. So damned good. Flynn loved these moments when it was just the two of them, with nothing between them but sweat. He fucked Mathias's mouth with his tongue in the same lazy rhythm he was using with his hips, electric pleasure playing through his body. Mathias shivered and held on, his legs tightening, urging him to pick up the pace, but Flynn resisted. The man was so tired he probably wasn't going to last long, but that was all right. "You feel so good," he whispered, lips against lips. He turned his face and rubbed his grizzled cheek against Mathias's, breathing hard into his ear as his own pleasure rose. It drew another full bodied shudder from his lover; Flynn had discovered that sensitivity early on. "You don't have to try to last for me. I know you're tired. You can come whenever you need," Flynn murmured.

Mathias nodded. "I know." His voice was ragged and shaking. Flynn could feel he was close. "Oh, gods, it's so good. You're so good."

Flynn had picked up his skills in ports all over the world, but using them with Mathias always felt different. He couldn't put his finger on why, but everything with Mathias was different, more intense. The swell of emotion in his chest was like the swell of pleasure in his groin and he groaned and came, driving his cock as deep as it would go. Mathias gasped and shuddered, shaking his way through his own orgasm, his fingers clenched tight on Flynn's broad shoulders as hot fluid splashed between their bellies. He panted for breath as Flynn tried not to slump in a heap on Mathias's body. Bad form to squish a lover when he'd still be desperately sensitive like that, after all.

After a few moments, Flynn's cock slipped out of Mathias's body and Mathias went boneless underneath him, his eyes blinking owlishly open. Mathias groaned, wordless and spent.

"I love doing that to you," Flynn murmured.

"Y'r a hazard," Mathias mumbled, barely coherent. "Bottle y'as a sleep aid."

Flynn laughed quietly. "And you say I'm the lunatic. Sleep. You're already mostly there." He caressed Mathias's cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Mmhmm." Mathias's eyes slipped closed and Flynn rested for a few minutes before he dragged himself out of bed to get a wet cloth and clean them up. Morning would come soon enough, and he didn't want to be glued to Mathias when it arrived.

***

Mathias rose with the dawn and elbowed Flynn into a state of grumbling wakefulness. "Up." Flynn moaned but rolled out of bed, blearily wiping his eyes.

"You're vile."

"Things to do. People to see."

Flynn staggered to his feet. "Sir Fishy."

"Finley." Morning routine time: shit, shower, and shave. Light, he wished there was something like a shower in this little flat. It might be time to reconsider his living arrangements. A man could do with a little luxury from time to time. A little extra space. A slightly larger bed.

With a yawn and a joint-cracking stretch that Mathias heard from across the room, Flynn pulled himself together. "Who on Azeroth knights a murloc, anyway?"

"Fuck if I know."

Flynn snorted. "Thought you knew everything about everyone."

Mathias chuckled. "There are limits to even my knowledge."

"At last, he admits it. Breakfast at the Oink and Squeak?" They moved around each other through their morning business as if they'd lived together for years.

Hmm. Sausages. Coffee. Maybe some toasted spice bread. "Yeah, I could go for that."

They ran into Renzik at the Pig and Whistle. "Morning report's already on your desk, boss," the goblin said, slurping from a mug of coffee almost as big as his head.

"I'll be in a little late. I have business up at the Keep. Not sure exactly how long it'll take." Mathias and Flynn grabbed a seat at the same long table.

"Morning, Shiv," Flynn said.

"Fairwind. Keepin' the boss busy, I see." He smirked. Flynn shot him a salacious grin.

"Renzik," Mathias warned, not entirely serious. They fell into a conversation about Renzik's opinion on the Horde's new Trade Prince -- a reasonably safe topic for public ears -- as they ate. He'd already heard the goblin's classified analysis of the situation.

Fortified for the morning, Mathias and Flynn made their way up to the Keep to request an audience with Anduin. They only had to cool their heels for about twenty minutes before they were received into Anduin's office.

"You said it wasn't an emergency," Anduin said, gesturing for them both to sit down with him at his desk.

Mathias nodded. "We received an… interesting visit last night from--"

"A murloc," Flynn said.

Anduin raised an eyebrow.

"Sir Finley Mrrgglton," Mathias continued, ignoring the interruption, "with a request on behalf of the Explorer's League and Magni Bronzebeard."

"'Interesting' is definitely the word for that," Anduin said, leaning back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of his face. "What did Magni want?"

"My ship," Flynn said, "for an expedition to recover a code of some sort from uncharted waters east of Northrend."

Mathias added, "Titan technology."

Anduin sighed. "I got a note from Harrison Jones last week about a recent find in Uldum. I assume it involves that?"

Mathias nodded again. "Yes. There's some concern that The Reliquary may be sending an expedition for the same purpose. I'd like to request an SI:7 presence on the expedition to ensure that things go smoothly."

"You mean you." Anduin smiled.

"If it won't be a problem, Your Majesty." There could be other, higher priorities waiting on his desk right now, and he in no way wanted to assume what his King's current needs were.

With a sigh, Anduin asked, "Do you have a timeline for this?"

Flynn shook his head. "Uncharted waters means we need to find the island we're looking for before we can even start looking for the code Sir Fishy mentioned." Mathias cringed and shot him a look about the nickname, but Flynn ploughed on, oblivious. "Could be a month or more. There's really no way to know until we get out there. We'll need to get to Boralus, I'll need to make a final inspection of the _Bold Arva_ before she's launched from drydock, and I'll need to get my crew on deck. They're on shore leave and some of them will have to be recalled. It'll be a week before we ship out, regardless."

"Hmm. I see. Well, Renzik's been a capable second in your absence many times before, Spymaster. Titan artifacts aren't something to be ignored, nor is a potential Horde interest. What are your logistical requirements?"

"We'll be meeting Mrrgglton this afternoon to get more details about the mission," Mathias said. 

"Should be able to provision everything we need from Boralus," Flynn added.

Anduin nodded. "I'll see to it that Jaina's informed. If you need anything unusual, you can consult with her, Captain Fairwind. It's in the Alliance's best interest to secure the artifact, considering that we currently have no idea of its purpose or powers."

Flynn grinned brightly. "Thanks, Your Majesty!"

Anduin leaned forward, elbows on his desk. "I'll admit this thing with Sir Finley seems a little odd, but he's a respected member of the League, and Magni wouldn't have sent him if he wasn't the right… er... murloc for the job. I have no objection to your taking on this mission, Shaw. I'll expect periodic reports through the usual channels. I want both of you back in one piece as soon as you're able, with the code." Mathias nodded, relieved. Anduin continued, "I will remind you that we are currently operating under armistice and, if you encounter the Horde, you are expected to maintain it."

"Of course, Your Majesty. So long as they observe the treaty, so will we." Mathias might be deeply suspicious of the Horde but he would avoid doing anything to endanger the current fragile armistice.

"Your actions in Nazmir were exemplary, both of you," Anduin said. He looked at Flynn. "Captain Fairwind, you were a credit to the Alliance under extremely difficult circumstances." Mathias knew how hard it had been for Flynn to leave him behind, and how much it had affected him. He reached over and squeezed Flynn's thigh. Flynn covered Mathias's hand with his own and squeezed back. "I hope that you'll maintain that high standard on this mission."

"You may rely on us," Mathias said, quiet. He saw the movement of Flynn's throat as he swallowed, uneasy, nodding at the King's words.

"You're dismissed, gentlemen." Anduin rose, and so did Flynn and Mathias. They bowed and took their leave.

Once outside the keep, Mathias said. "I have to go tell Renzik about this development."

Flynn nodded. "I've got to send out notices to the crew to meet us in Boralus quick as you please. Yun's the furthest out. He's in Halfhill visiting family, but his cousin's a mage and can portal him in. He'll probably get there tomorrow after the post arrives in Pandaria and be there long before us. A few are already in port just waiting for word that the _Bold Arva_ 's afloat."

"Flynn."

"Hmm?"

" _Sir Fishy_? In front of the King?"

Flynn had the grace to blush. "Forgot myself. Won't happen again. I hope." He grinned.

Mathias's sigh was fond but exasperated and he shook his head. "I'll meet you at home at lunchtime and then we can talk with Mrrgglton and get the rest of the details on this."

"Sounds good." Flynn took his hand and tugged him close, planting a brief kiss on his lips. Mathias made a pleased sound, happy and at peace. He smiled at his lover and they parted.


	2. The Good Ship Arva

The brisk, salt air of Boralus in autumn was a welcome change to the sometimes suffocating heat of Stormwind, and Flynn dragged it in with a huge breath and a broad smile. He got out of the wagon that carried his sea kit, and the bags for Mathias and Finley, on the dock at the gangplank leading up to the deck of the _Bold Arva_. He waved at his First Mate, already aboard. "Miller!"

"Cap'n!" The worgen trotted down the plank to meet them. She was a bit rough looking, with scruffy brown and cream fur, a flopped and broken left ear, and at least half a dozen gold earrings on each side. Her clothes were topped by a neat brown greatcoat, a cutlass strapped to her hip. 

"I recognize you," Mathias said, helping Finley off the high seat of the cargo wagon. "You were at Greywatch with King Greymane in the Broken Isles."

"Aye, Master Shaw. And it's too bad he wasn't able to kill that bitch Sylvanas while he was there. Would have saved us all a lot of misery." The First Mate bared her teeth and snarled.

"Indeed." Mathias's eyes darkened. Flynn thought he looked sexy when he was being dangerous.

"Have we got everyone assembled yet?" Flynn asked. 

"They're all in Boralus now, aye, though I'm the only one aboard right now. Most of the crew's waiting on the dockers to bring the provisions so we can load her up for the voyage." She gestured down the docks to a cluster of sailors of different races waiting as dockers drove up in loaded carts bound for various ships, drawn by sturdy Kul Tiran horses. Flynn could see his own people among them. "Who's the murloc?" Sonya asked, tilting her head and pointing with her muzzle.

"Sir Finley Mrrgglton, at your service," Finley responded. Sonya raised a furry brow ridge.

"The Explorer's League representative for the mission," Flynn said. He looked down at Finley. "My First Mate, Sonya Miller."

"Pleased to meet you," Finley replied, offering his hand. Sonya blinked a couple of times, then shrugged and leaned down to shake it.

"Likewise, I'm sure." She sounded dubious, but willing to go with it.

A young Tidesage came scurrying up behind their little group. She was tall and heavyset, with black hair and kind brown eyes. A thick, blue scarf was wrapped around her neck and shoulders over her coat, and she had a big seabag slung over her shoulder. A small bundle of sea stalks was clutched in one hand. "Bess Tidewalker, reporting for duty, Captain." 

"Tidewalker, it's good to have you. The Lord Admiral had good things to say about you." Flynn smiled at her and she smiled back, pleased. "Let's go aboard. You can put the stalks in some water by your berth."

Everyone grabbed a bag or a bundle from the wagon and boarded the _Arva_. "Take everything to my cabin," Flynn said, leading the way. By the Tides, it was good to be back aboard his own ship again.

Flynn and Mathias settled their things into the captain's cabin while Sonya showed the others to their berths. Sir Finley was bunking in the first mate's quarters, and he hoped she wouldn't object too much, but the little guy wasn't going to take up much room, at least.

It wasn't long before he heard the voice of his gnomish boatswain on the dock. "Ahoy, _Arva_! The stores have been acquired, shake a leg!"

Flynn opened a porthole and shouted down, "Be right there, Sparks!"

Sparks Turnsprocket looked up, pink ponytails bobbing. "Hey Captain, welcome home!" She grinned at him as some of the other crew members scrambled to begin bringing the stores aboard. His gunners, Harmon and Siward Brentley, Kul Tiran brothers, had shipped over with the _Arva_ after Nazmir, just as Sparks had, but the rest had sailed on other contracts. 

Everyone on board hopped to, including Sir Finley and Mathias, to their credit. Murlocs, like gnomes, were stronger than they looked, and Mathias wasn't averse to a bit of heavy lifting when it was necessary. Flynn hoped he might get to appreciate him up close and personal while he was still a little sweaty afterwards. Mmm, yes.

It took about an hour to get everything on board, and by that time the rest of the crew had arrived to finish the job. "Everyone stow your gear and assemble in the galley for a briefing on the voyage!" Flynn shouted as they laid in the final crates and barrels. "Fifteen minutes!"

Flynn himself dropped onto a coil of rope on the deck and leaned back against the bulwark to catch a breath. Mathias came and sat with him. "I'm glad you're here," Flynn said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Once we set sail, you should break out a greatcoat, though. It'll be cold as we head north."

Mathias leaned into him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not that fond of the cold," he admitted. "It makes my shin ache."

"Hmm. I'll keep you warm." He pressed a kiss to Mathias's temple. 

Mathias looked at him with an absolutely evil gleam in his eyes. "Of that, I have no doubt," he purred.

"Oh, don't be rubbin' it in that you're shipping out with yer squeeze aboard, Fairwind. The wife and the wee ones were gripin' when I left Ironforge this week." 

Flynn looked up and grinned. "You're just jealous, Thurin." Thurin Firebeard was the ship's carpenter, and an actual Priest, so they had a healer aboard. That and a pandaren cook were often enough to hire good hands and experienced mates from other crews with just the suggestion. All too often, a ship ran on a sawbones medic who hadn't any training in any of the magical healing professions, and a cook who could barely boil water.

"You're darn tootin' I am! The wife always bellyaches when I ship out, but ye pay well and take good care of yer crews, so I'll live with it. She likes the gold," he said. "When ye said ye'd got a boyfriend, I didn't realize you'd meant the likes of _this_ one, though." Thurin's big, dark hand waved in Mathias's direction. "Punchin' a bit above yer weight, there!"

"I'll have you know, I'm a _fantastic_ lay," Flynn said, mock-affronted.

"He is," Mathias smirked.

Flynn poked him. "I don't need your help." 

Thurin cringed and covered his eyes with one hand. "I didn't need that image, Cap'n. Thanks so much."

"I'm sure a grog ration'll help dull the memory. You bring your squeezebox?" Flynn lolled against the bulwark, enjoying the afternoon sun and the sea breeze.

"Wouldn't leave her. Who'd be makin' the music on the late watches?"

Flynn smiled. "Grixx has a flute and Relly a fiddle, so you won't be alone."

"Ohhh, a fiddle!"

"I play the bones," the sailmaker offered. Johnny Selden was a mainlander and, like Bess, someone Flynn hadn't sailed with before, but he'd come recommended by others.

Thurin grinned. "We've a regular band, then." He side-eyed Johnny. "Hope you can keep proper time."

"Hope your box is in tune," Selden challenged, returning the smile. Flynn was pleased. Music always made a voyage easier, and when there was friendly rivalry between the musicians, they tended to get on better and urge each other to have more fun with it.

Sir Finley came on deck, bearing his scroll case. "We should begin our briefing soon, Captain Fairwind. Everything belowdecks was looking secured and ship-shape as I came up."

Flynn nodded. "Excellent, excellent." He consulted his pocketwatch. Enough time had passed. He stood and bellowed, "All hands to the galley! Briefing begins now!"

The crew gathered belowdecks in the galley, curious and eager. Yun Finebrew was already in his element, organizing the food stores. Grixx Wheedleboil and Relly Cogbinder sat at the long galley table, the two women leaning against each other on the bench. Everyone else gathered round and took seats on either side of the table. Mathias leaned on the bulkhead behind Flynn, ankles and arms crossed, observing. 

"All right, lads and ladies, look sharp. You're about to get the details of our mission." He gestured to Finley. "This is our Explorer's League contractor, and we're off to uncharted waters on a treasure hunt." Flynn gestured to Finley. "Sir Finley Mrrgglton, welcome aboard the _Bold Arva_."

Sir Finley hopped onto the bench and then up onto the head of the table, where he spread out the map for their voyage. "We are heading for the waters east of Northrend, where the League believes there's an uncharted island," he began, rolling out the charts and pages of notes and sketches.

***

They cast off all lines at the evening tide and Bess took them out into the bay where they could catch the wind and set sail for the open sea. Flynn was on deck, blissfully happy to have the waves moving under him again, his eyes on the horizon and his hands on the wheel. Other sails spiked in the distance, headed for ports all over the world. Watches had been set, Yun was busy preparing the night's meal, Relly was in the crow's nest, and the other hands were in the rigging making sure everything was shipshape for the oncoming night. They were flying merchantman colors for the voyage rather than Alliance blue or Kul Tiras green, the better to avoid notice. No need to advertise.

He was glad of the fine weather and their easy departure, but he knew better than to hope that this bright beginning would be a sign for the whole voyage. The waters off Northrend were wild and treacherous regardless of the season, and squalls could come up in a heartbeat. The cold meant they might encounter icebergs, and he'd never trusted the things. Much bigger below the surface, and you could hole your hull before you thought you were even close. 

Flynn lowered his eyes to the main deck, where the resident murloc was leaning against the railing, staring out to sea like a lost soul. Flynn wondered if the little guy missed the ocean, or if he'd ever lived in it at all. He seemed to have sea legs, but that was probably instinct for them. Thurin lit the running lights as dusk fell; they indicated the ship's size, and her port and starboard to other vessels so risk of collision was reduced. Mathias was nowhere to be seen. Probably in their cabin, catching up on work.

"It's a good evening, Tidewalker," Flynn said to Bess. "No sign of foul weather on the horizon. You took us out really smooth today. Fine job." A Tidesage had to learn the vessel they were on as well as the winds and tides themselves. Knowing her tonnage and how she moved was a part of the art, and this had been Bess's first encounter with the _Arva_. It wouldn't have been surprising if there'd been a little hesitance, but she'd been steady on and solid.

"Thanks, Captain. I may be young, but I've got a lot of experience. I sailed with some of the other captains on the azerite runs during the war. You know the kinds of trouble that happened there."

The Lord Admiral had mentioned her qualifications when she'd recommended Bess for the crew. "I do, and too well." She had to have seen some rough weather and high seas through those missions. With the sheer volatility of azerite, it took a top notch Tidesage and a supremely skilled captain to pull crews home in one piece. Flynn had captained many a one himself, and there had been sights he'd prefer to forget, and storms that had nearly taken the _Middenwake_ more than once. 

The dinner bell rang from the galley. "Music to my ears," Flynn said. Can't wait to see what Yun's got us for the first night out."

"I'll tie down the wheel if you want to go get some grub," Bess said.

"Fantastic." He grinned at her and hurried down the stairs to his cabin. 

"Mathias! Food!" He opened the door to find the man at the table, studying Mrrgglton's maps and papers. 

Mathias looked up at him and smiled. "That late already?"

Flynn nodded. "Yeah. And I have to get some sleep right after. I'm on the mid watch tonight." 

Mathias's smile faded slightly. "You have to get up in the middle of the night, the first night out?'

He shrugged in return. "Everybody takes a watch. If I get it over with tonight, I have the next two on other watches and can sleep the whole night. I like to get it out of the way early."

"I'll stay up with you, then."

Flynn raised an eyebrow. "You're not a sailor. You and Fishy don't need to stand watch. Besides, I thought you needed a little time to yourself without my -- what was it you called it recently -- infernal blathering?"

Mathias stood, chuckling. "Finley." He slipped his arms around Flynn and held him. "Your infernal blathering has grown on me a bit. Like fungus. Or barnacles."

Flynn snorted. "And you keep trying to claim I'm the ridiculous one." He kissed Mathias. "Food," he said, when he was done. "If we don't get there fast, it'll all be gone." On many ships, the officers always got the best, whenever it was available. Flynn wasn't so much about that kind of inequality, though. Well-fed sailors were happy sailors. "Come on." He pulled out of Mathias's arms and tugged him by the wrist toward the galley.

***

As Flynn told him, the weather got colder and nastier the further north they sailed from Kul Tiras. Mathias had taken to wearing the long, oiled leather greatcoat and a thick green scarf Flynn had bought for him and insisted he bring. The greatcoat was lined with wool, and Mathias was glad of it. He stood shivering on the foredeck, keeping an eye on the small, white peak of an iceberg in the distance.

They were near the edge of charted waters. What lay ahead was a mystery. The _Arva_ was staying as clear of the ice as she could; Flynn was cautious about it and Mathias couldn't blame him. He'd read reports of careless captains who'd damaged or lost vessels trying to skirt too close, or threaded between what looked like individual bergs that turned out to be a single massive structure joined by shallow channels between the peaks.

"Water that cold, you'd die in minutes if you went into the drink," Flynn had warned him. "I've seen it before." Mathias wondered when that had happened, how badly damaged the vessel had been, and how many had been lost.

Through the rough growl of the cold wind in his ears, he heard footsteps approaching, and a big, furry hand rested on one of his shoulders. "The Captain said you might be out here." A small ceramic cup was thrust in front of his nose, steam rising from it. He looked up at Yun, the cook, a big pandaren with blue-grey fur. "Starfire espresso."

"Thanks, Finebrew." Mathias took the little cup between both of his stiff, cold hands. It was almost too hot to hold, even wearing gloves. He sipped at it and it reminded him of how damned freezing he was, standing here. "I needed that."

"I have no idea why anybody without fur would be out here, dressed like you are, unless they had to be. Those pathetic little tufts of fluff on your face won't even keep your muzzle properly warm. Captain said you should come below before we have to chip you off the railing. Besides, lunch is almost ready. Come warm up."

Mathias finished the little cup of espresso and followed the cook below.

The galley was warm and smelled fantastic, and Mathias shed his coat and scarf when he entered, still cold but knowing he'd overheat quickly once he warmed if he didn't. Yun took himself back to the galley stove. Flynn was at the table talking with Finley. Relly was making some rope while Grixx peeled potatoes, her ochre hands expertly working the paring knife.

With a shiver, Mathias sat himself down next to Flynn and shoved his hands under the man's shirt, circling his waist.

Flynn yelped. "Oh, you _bastard_!"

"I'm cold."

"I noticed!" Flynn shouted. The crew snickered. Mathias laughed as Flynn wrapped his arms around him. "Give a bloke some warning, why don't you."

"You're the one who sent somebody to get me. You should have expected this."

"Ah, young love," Relly said. She looked over at Grixx. "You remember when we were like that?"

"The sneak attacks." A sappy grin spread over the goblin's face.

The gnome's big, violet eyes glazed over. "The surreptitious snuggles."

"The delicious revenge." Mathias watched the two volley back and forth.

They paused and sighed together, "The high explosives." Mathias could almost see the little pink hearts floating over the couple. He and Flynn were not even vaguely similar. Absolutely not.

"Though," Relly said, "it was tragic, what happened to Arva that one time."

Grixx covered her heart with one hand. "The kraken never stood a chance."

"Sadly," Relly sighed, shaking her head, "neither did Arva."

"She was a fine First Mate," Flynn said, a little melancholy.

Grixx nodded. "The best."

Flynn arched an eyebrow. "Don't let Sonya hear you say that."

Yun reached up and rang the galley bell. "Jade lungfish and lemongrass stew. Steamed basil buns."

"That sounds delicious," Flynn said, enthusiastic. He rose quickly and Mathias got up with him, his hands finally warm from Flynn's skin. The others followed and got bowls as most of the rest of the crew came hurrying in to join them. Mathias was curious about the food, though everything Yun had made so far was amazing.

When Flynn was seated at the table and most of the chatter had settled because everyone was eating he said, "We should be falling off the edge of the known world within the hour, lads and ladies. I'll be heading up to the quarterdeck with the sextant to get our position after we eat. From here on out, we need to be even more on our toes than usual. No one knows what lies in these waters aside from ice and more ice. I want position checks from the helm every hour on every watch."

"We are looking for an island," Sir Finley gurgled, "as noted previously. From what information we could recover regarding the Titan artifact and its key code, the island is perhaps the size of Mechagon. We must assume it could be populated with many of the same races found on the east coast of Northrend." He paused for a sip of tea. "I've consulted several tuskarr elders and none of them have knowledge of this part of the ocean. The kvaldir, of course, are not… erm… easily consulted. They are a potential demographic."

"Soooo," Flynn said, "potential groups of kvaldir, naga, murlocs, and colonies of attack penguins." He ticked off the races on his fingers. "And that's just ashore."

Mathias's brow wrinkled. "Attack penguins?"

"Don't ask," Flynn grumbled.

Mathias sighed and shook his head. The stories Flynn told sometimes beggared belief, but often enough there was a strong grain of truth in the exaggerated braggadocio. They were, after all, sitting at a table with a highly educated and somehow-knighted murloc from the Explorer's League. Most sane people would dismiss the whole thing as drug-addled ravings.

Flynn continued. "I want everything logged, no exceptions. Currents, weather conditions, position, depth soundings, encounters with anything living or dead -- or undead, for that matter--" he shuddered, "and any significantly sized sea ice. I will not have us run aground on an iceberg, is that clear?"

"Aye, Captain," came the response from every crewmember there.

"Excellent. As you were, everyone." Flynn waved a dismissive hand and set his attention to finishing his lunch.

***

Mathias took to running the rigging with the crew, literally learning the ropes. "In case I ever need to go undercover on a ship," he told Flynn, though it was actually to force himself to develop better sea legs. He wasn't as young as he used to be, but he needed to keep up his balance and reaction times, and there was nowhere safe on the decks to practice his weapon techniques. While he was never fond of being at sea, he knew that if they stayed together, if their affair lasted, his life would become significantly more nautical and it would pay to have the skills to survive it.

One night, when Flynn was relaxing with the crew and enjoying the music instead of ensconced in the captain's cabin, he'd pulled Mathias up to dance with him, the two of them swirling in the tight space of the crew's quarters where all the furniture had been pushed aside. Thurin played dwarven reels and Johnny kept a sharp rhythm with his bones. Mathias wasn't much for dancing, but Flynn led with confidence and surprising grace, smiling down into his face. Mathias found himself laughing and a bit giddy with the warmth of his lover's arms around him, being swung and tugged about the worn wooden deck.

The sex that night was intense, almost an extension of their dance. Every day he spent with the man left him growing more attached. Flynn could be, by turns, annoying, ridiculous, and thick as a stone wall, but his joyful embrace of the moment and his deep and aggressive kindness had undeniably caught Mathias's heart. The man was smarter than he let on and frequently underestimated; so much of his life had been sheer bad luck and the scars left by poverty and desperation. Few people were willing to look past Flynn's surface to see the man beneath; ever curious, with a love of reading and discovery. It never failed to astonish Mathias how Flynn managed to find moments of happiness despite the tragedies of his past and the harsh realities of life at sea.

Mathias's own life had been little more than danger, duty, and obligation. Missions and responsibilities and loneliness had dragged at him constantly. He'd laughed more in the six weeks he'd been with Flynn than in the entire twenty years before that, perhaps longer.

Every night in the captain's cabin, Flynn spent time with the navigational charts, making painstaking records of their progress. He added new soundings, currents, and prevailing winds to the parchment scrolls that would end up in Stormwind's royal library when they returned, drawing on the charts with a fine, steady hand. The captain's log was thick with notations. Mathias added cartography to his growing list of Flynn's professional skills. He was fairly sure that some of Flynn's more… eccentric marginalia would not be copied by the scribes, but he also doubted that brief scribblings about Flynn's fears of attack penguins were likely to be taken seriously.

Their search had taken them in long, arcing sweeps, searching for signs of land. Cloud formations and changes in wind and current could be indications, Flynn told him. The weather had become increasingly rough the further north they got; one morning Mathias had been hit by a sharp gust of wind as they were coming about with the waves breaching, his feet slipping from the spar. As he clung to a rope high above the deck, Sparks, the boatswain, swung down from the crow's nest and grabbed the shoulder of his coat, hauling him back to safety.

He'd held onto the mast for a moment, shaken and gasping for breath. "You're new at this," Turnsprocket said, "but you're making a fine showing. It's happened to everyone at least once. Steady on." She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and Mathias dragged himself upright again.

The roofs and rafters of Stormwind had never swayed beneath him. Moving rigging in a high wind required a much more dynamic balance, and a lower center of gravity than he was used to. "Thanks," he shouted, as she clambered back to her watchpost.

When the call of "Land ho!" went up two weeks into their search, everyone was relieved.


	3. Blood on the Ice

The _Bold Arva_ managed to find anchorage, protected from the prevailing winds, after sailing northeast along the coast for a few hours. She lay not far offshore, sheltered by an arc of cliffs broken by a tiny bit of rocky beach that led up into the interior. The island was hilly, with low, rolling peaks and glaciation in some places. There were long, bare stretches of land, jagged and rocky with sparse vegetation and tiny, stunted trees that had been bent by years of wind. Much of the coast consisted of sharp granite cliffside and floating ice. At sea, in the distance abaft the ship, there was a perilous field of icebergs they'd very carefully avoided. The great hills of ice were moving with the tides and currents, but slowly. 

They dropped anchor late, and decided to wait until morning before he, Mathias, and Finley went ashore, but there would still be plenty for the crew to do.

Flynn looked inland from the crow's nest, spyglass held to one eye. He didn't see any sentient inhabitants in immediate evidence, but there was wildlife, and he'd spied a naga temple in the lee of a hill off to the south as they'd made way toward the sheltered cove. There'd been signs of murloc presence along the coast though, again, they'd yet to see actual individuals moving about. Far in the distance there was a curl of smoke rising into the sky before the higher elevation winds caught it and the smoke dispersed. Probably a village campfire, though no telling what kind of village.

"Looks like we have a place to start," he shouted down to the crew and pointed. "Naga temple to the south." He stowed his spyglass in his belt pouch and slid down the rope ladder, quick and agile.

They'd already decided on their plan. While the expedition was ashore, the rest of the crew would stay aboard or stick nearby, salvaging firewood and foraging for anything edible to add to the stores. Yun was busy preparing nets to restock their fresh fish supply, as fishing on the high seas was a task better suited to actual fishing boats. The _Arva_ was equipped only for what they might be able to take in shallow waters, near the shore.

The next morning after breakfast, Johnny Selden was on deck mending one of the jibs; its seam had been ripped by high winds in a storm two days before. The Brently brothers were cleaning the cannons and checking the munitions. Grixx and Relly lowered the rowboat with the exploratory crew, Bess, and the boatswain aboard. The away mission would head out, and Bess and Sparks would scout the close area for fresh water. Flynn had seen the thin, gleaming ribbon of a stream above the nearby cliffs from the crow's nest, and a ship never passed up a chance to restock the fresh water supplies.

"Tidemother's blessing on you, Captain. Stay sharp," Bess said, as she and Sparks unloaded empty water barrels from the rowboat. The three of them hefted their packs and left the others, ascending the rough, rocky hillside.

As they crested the rise, the trio got their first close look at the lay of the land. "We'll make for the temple," Flynn said, pointing off to the south, where he could see the long slope of the hill that sheltered the structure he'd seen from the crow's nest.

Mathias tightened his greatcoat around him, shoulders hunched into his scarf. "If the wind picks up, this'll barely keep out the cold," he grumbled. Mainlanders weren't so accustomed to the cold or damp as Kul Tirans, in Flynn's experience, and Mathias wasn't a big man to begin with. Not much to hold in the heat, which was why Flynn had got him the winter gear before they shipped out. His shin was probably bothering him, or would be by the end of the day. He'd mentioned once that it had been broken, years ago, and that he could usually feel changes coming in the weather.

Sir Finley pattered ahead of them, not seeming to need warm clothes. Or any clothes at all, for that matter. Then again, murlocs often lived in water too cold for almost anything land-based to survive, so he supposed it didn't bother the little bloke. He had a tiny S.E.L.F.I.E. camera hanging from a cord around his neck and stopped now and then to record the terrain. "Quite remarkable," he burbled. "A considerable number of mineral resources appear to be available."

"Not what we're after," Mathias said. "Eyes on task."

"Useful strategic information, nonetheless," Finley insisted. The murloc continued to forge ahead, undaunted by Mathias's grumpy ire.

All of them kept their eyes out. The terrain made for slow going and at first they couldn't find anything like a clear track to follow to make it quicker. The only animals they'd encountered so far were seabirds and the occasional large crab. Two hours of scrabbling brought them to the hill Flynn had seen from the ship, but they still had to get over or around it. At the foot of the hill, they found a trail leading in from the north and moved to that to ease their way.

Mathias pointed up the hill into the short scrub. "Musken," he said. They were much smaller than Flynn expected, probably stunted, like the vegetation, from the harsh environment. Still good to avoid them, as the bulls were likely to be aggressive. Nothing more fun than having one's ass gored by an angry, fluffy, gnome-sized bull.

They found the naga temple around mid-day. Sir Finley unlimbered a tiny murloc-sized spyglass and gave the place a look, as Flynn handed his own to Mathias. They observed it from afar for twenty minutes or so, as there were half a dozen naga wandering about the place doing naga-y things. Some kind of ritual, which seemed fitting for a temple, after all.

"Not seeing anything out of the ordinary for naga temples," Mathias said.

Finley shook his head. "Nor I, though it would still be worth a look through the chests down there, if we can find a way to distract them for a sufficient length of time."

Flynn took his spyglass back from Mathias and had his own look. "Three chests," he said. "Six naga. We could wait and see if they leave. They might not stay long after their ritual is done."

Mathias nodded. "I concur. The less attention we attract, the better. I'd like to see if we can find some shelter while we wait, though." He shivered and rubbed at his arms with gloved hands. "I could use something to eat, too."

"Capital," Sir Finley replied. "I spotted a cavern on the way over that's probably large enough for you chaps to fit inside. I need far less shelter from the weather myself, and my tent will do famously if there's any need."

"Lead on," Mathias said. Flynn just nodded. He could see the cold was starting to get to the man, and they really should find some shelter and get him warmed up. They stayed low and out of sight, moving as quietly as possible until they got out of range of the temple and had put some of the hill between them.

"We should give it another hour, at least," Flynn said, when they reached the cavern. It was a crawl to get in, but big enough for both of the men, and for Finley, if he'd cared to come in. Mathias leaned back against the wall of the cavern with a tired sigh. Flynn tucked himself next to the man and threw an arm over his shoulder, wanting to warm him up more quickly. "Come here."

"Light, it's cold," Mathias muttered, leaning into Flynn and shivering.

"Get some food into you and you'll feel better." It wouldn't be hot, but far better than nothing, and Yun would have packed them something that had a reasonable flavor and texture when cold, not some kind of congealed mass. Mathias, he was sure, would be expecting hardtack and jerky, but there was no need for that sort of nonsense with a pandaren ship's cook.

After they'd eaten, Flynn opened his coat and tucked one side over Mathias, who was warmer but still chilled. The man burrowed under the cloth, curled up against him, and held on. Flynn rested his cheek on the top of Mathias's head and held him close until he finally stopped shivering.

"That's better," Flynn murmured into Mathias's ear. "Have to keep you warm enough to move."

Mathias sighed. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. I can deal with whatever the Eastern Kingdoms throw at me, but Northrend and this kind of weather are meant for younger people than me."

Flynn shook his head. "You're not old, Mathias."

"I've got ten years on you, Flynn."

"And right now, you're warm and in my arms. I don't see a downside." He smiled into Mathias's hair.

"Give it time. We should probably start moving back toward the temple to see if they've gone yet." Mathias got himself together and moved out of Flynn's lap. Flynn stuck his head out of the cavern and took a look. Their murloc adventurer was sitting nearby, apparently writing notes about pieces of stunted vegetation.

"Sir Finley, shake a leg. We're going to head back toward the temple now."

He looked up from his notebook and nodded. "Excellent. I've spent the time in a most fruitful session of botanical cataloguing. There are some fascinating specimens here."

"Let's hope we won't have to spend too much time on this freezing rock," Mathias said. "The sooner we find what you're looking for, the better."

They set out in the lowering afternoon sun as soon as Finley packed away his notebook. This time of year, this far north, it would get dark earlier in the day than in Kul Tiras. If they found nothing at the naga temple, they'd have to go on into the evening and find shelter for the night as they kept up their search. There was just too much of the island to go back to the _Arva_ every night if they were going to cover it all efficiently.

The naga were, indeed, gone by the time they got back, and the chests were still there at the base of one column. It didn't take long to search them and, aside from some rather tempting golden items that Mathias didn't let him take, there was nothing of interest.

"We're trying to _avoid_ drawing attention, here Flynn."

"But Mathias, who knows how long it'll be before they miss them?" He held up the bejeweled golden goblet, appreciating it in the light.

Finley shook his head. "They will certainly notice ritual items missing when they come back, Captain, and we should leave no trace of our passage here. We don't know how long the search will take."

Mathias narrowed his eyes. "Put it back, Fairwind."

Flynn snorted as he watched Mathias repositioning everything carefully in the chest. "Oh, it's 'Fairwind,' now, is it? What happened to 'Flynn'?"

"He's being an ass and potentially endangering the mission." Mathias stood and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Flynn sighed. "Okay, okay." He put the goblet back into the chest, reluctant, and slipped a couple of bracelets into his sleeve instead.

"Flynn." Mathias glowered.

"You are absolutely no fun at all." Flynn dropped them back into the chest.

"I'm not here to be fun. I'm here to get the job done, and so are you. Let's move along." He closed the chests and locked them again, leaving them exactly as they'd found them. "Come on, we should get a look at the terrain from the top of the hill, get some idea of where to head next."

The slope of the hill wasn't particularly steep, but there were patches of ice on the ground, and a fair amount of loose gravel, so the climbing was tiring. From the top, they were able to see most of the island, which hadn't been visible from the ship. Below them to the north, in the direction of the path they'd taken in, there was a naga settlement. Further off to the south east were traces of murloc activity, and continuing directly east, a chain of glaciated hills. Flynn could see the tiny bastards on the ice.

"Penguins," he muttered.

He turned as Mathias shook his head, amused. "What is it with you and penguins?"

"Let's just... avoid them, shall we?"

Mathias rolled his eyes. "Flynn, why are you so--"

"Handsome? Charming? Warm and snuggly at night?" He smiled and waggled his eyebrows.

"Ridiculous," Matthias chuckled. "You're ridiculous." He gave Flynn a fond look and patted his shoulder.

"But also all those other things!"

"Focus, Flynn."

"Human mating rituals are terribly confusing," Finley muttered, still gazing through his spyglass. "I see several clusters of cairns to the southeast. We won't be able to get to all of them today, but we should be able to make the first of the clusters before sunset." He put away his spyglass and scribbled in his notebook. 

"You see any other likely structures?" Mathias asked, squeezing Flynn's shoulder.

Flynn shook his head. "Nope. Cairns it is."

*** 

Morning came, and Mathias was reluctant to move away from Flynn's warm arms. He'd never cared much for the cold, but it was getting to him more in recent years. The coat Flynn had got him helped, as did the thick wool scarf -- Flynn claimed it brought out the color of his eyes -- but it wasn't enough when they were out in this kind of weather for more than a few hours.

His shin bothered him, though it hadn't slowed him down or caused a limp so far today. The first set of cairns yielded nothing, as did the second. They stopped for lunch then made their way to the third set, further to the south and east, skirting closer to the coast and the little murloc settlement.

Half an hour of scrabbling in the stones opened a small chamber beneath one of the cairns. "Ooh, looks like we might have found something," Flynn said, moving one last stone away. "There's a hole here. Not big enough for me or Mathias to get into but maybe you'd give it an eye, Sir Finley?"

Finley knelt in front of the unearthed gap and peered in. He looked up at them. "It appears there is a tunnel beneath this. If we remove more of the stones, even the Captain should be able to fit inside. It could lead to some kind of burial chamber."

"Or treasure?" Flynn asked, excited.

Finley leaned back and stood. He adjusted his pith helmet. "One person's treasure is another person's ancestor, Captain. We should approach the entire thing with respect. There is, however, no way to know what's at the end of the tunnel unless we enter."

Flynn started moving more rocks. "Let's get to it, then!" Mathias and Finley put their backs into it as well and eventually the entire entrance was revealed. At least when he was moving, he wasn't so cold. Mathias leaned back against a stone to catch his breath while Flynn recorded their position on the map he'd been making, and Finley took S.E.L.F.I.E.s for their report.

"I'll take point," Mathias said, lighting a torch. "Keep a sharp eye out for traps." He shot a look over his shoulder. "That means you, Flynn. Watch where you put your feet. I don't want to be scraping you out of a spike pit."

Flynn grinned. "I'll watch your back. And perhaps slightly lower." He leered, his eyes dropping to Mathias's ass.

"Later, Fairwind. We're working here." Mathias ducked and entered the low tunnel. The other two followed, cautious.

The narrow tunnel dipped downward for a while, then opened out into a proper corridor, though there didn't seem to be any sort of artwork or identifying marks. They carefully avoided a couple of pressure plate traps before they found themselves at the end of the tunnel in a tiny room with a large, raised, metallic disc embedded in the center of the floor.

"What's that?" Flynn whispered as Mathias's eyes widened.

"A Titan teleportation device," Mathias murmured.

"I do believe we've found our goal," Finley said.

"D'you think it still works?" Flynn walked slowly around it in the torchlight, keeping his distance.

"I suspect there's only one way to find out," Mathias answered.

"I should go," Finley said, moving toward the device. 

Mathias put a hand on the murloc's shoulder and shook his head. "We need to stick together. There's no telling what'll be on the other side. We'll stand a better chance as a group."

Flynn shifted his weight uneasily. "Or we could all, you know, die a horrific death."

It was true, of course, but that was always a risk. "We have a mission. Come on."

Flynn leaned in and kissed Mathias, then drew his cutlass and pistol, took a bracing breath, and straightened his shoulders. "Into the storm," he said, and strode onto the pad. Mathias and Finley followed him, barely a step behind. 

"Tidemother," Flynn whispered, awed as he looked around them. The room was large but by no means the biggest Titan chamber Mathias had ever seen. It was dimly lit, the floor clear and seeming to sink into eternity; he'd always found that disconcerting. All of them stood still for a moment, just trying to absorb their surroundings.

"We shall assuredly find what we seek here, chaps," Finley said. The light was enough to see by and examine the area. Mathias doused the torch and tucked it into his belt; they'd need it to get back out. There were alcoves along the walls, the largest of which held a huge stone figure. 

"A Watcher." Mathias moved closer to Flynn. "It may still be active. Be careful and stay with me."

Finley pointed up toward the roof, where two sides of the chamber were lined with partial face masks projecting from the stone. "There are frequently energy beam defenses in Titan facilities. Most often, the beams will emerge from the eyes." Mathias nodded. He'd seen the like before. "Most of the time, destruction of the Watcher will deactivate the beam defenses if the chamber is active."

Flynn raised his weapons. "So, if we get laser eyeballs, smack old stoney. Got it."

Mathias scanned the room quickly, spotting three alcoves that still held items. "Titan orbs," he said. "Much smaller than the ones I've seen before." None of them were lit, but that didn't mean they couldn't be activated. The little icosahedrons floated above their columns, dark but still shimmering. "Stick together. Let's deal with the nearest one first. Anything could activate the defenses. Be prepared."

"Just like the vault job," Flynn said, flashing him a rakish grin.

"Focus. We get the orbs and get out of here. We'll have time to work with them when we get back to the _Arva_." They got to the first orb and Mathias lifted it carefully from the column, handing it down to Finley, who looked it over briefly and put it into a box he'd taken from his pack.

The second orb lit when Mathias touched it and the laser defenses flashed to life with a vicious hum and a _zzzot_. All of them dodged the first moving beam. There was a lithic rumble from the largest alcove as the Watcher woke. Finley ducked behind the column, which was broad enough to protect him, but by no means enough for two humans.

A beam of light shot toward Mathias and Flynn and they split and tumbled in opposite directions, throwing themselves toward the Watcher that was advancing on them. Flynn was on his feet in an instant from his tuck and roll. He sprang at the Watcher with a shout of "Hey, over here!" drawing its attention, and fired his pistol into its chest, stuffed the pistol back into his belt, and drew his second cutlass, going for its knees. Mathias drew his daggers and shadowstepped behind it, driving them into what would have been its kidneys if Watchers actually had any sort of internal anatomy. Between the two of them, the Watcher staggered, raising an arm to aim a massively powerful slam at Flynn.

"You remember that ex I mentioned?" Flynn asked as he spun out of the way, striking hard at the thing's leg again with his off hand. The Watcher missed, sending a spiderweb of fractures along the clear floor with a deep _boom_ at the impact of its fist. "She was less like a stone golem and a bit more like this." Mathias went for the throat as the beams slowly swirled around them, leaving hot, smoking trails behind. Chips flew from the Watcher's stiff form and it whirled on him. He ducked its flying arm and stabbed upward as Flynn hacked at its thigh. "Very fond of flinging pottery."

The Watcher staggered again, one leg collapsing beneath it, bringing it to its knees. Mathias drove his daggers into its eyes and it dropped, twitching, to the floor as the energy beams flickered out.

"You can tell me about your exes later," Mathias panted. He and Flynn leaned against each other for a moment, shoulder to shoulder, catching their breath. 

"A stirring fight!" Finley said, stepping out from behind the column. "Well done, chaps, well done! Shall we finish our data collection and return to the ship?"

"That should have taken care of the security systems," Mathias said as Finley pulled out his S.E.L.F.I.E. and started snapping photos of everything.

Flynn tucked an arm around Mathias's waist. "We make a good team."

"We do," he answered, giving Flynn a squeeze and a peck on the cheek. "But we have work to do. Let's collect those orbs." He patted Flynn's ass, because really, who could resist, and they finished their examination and collection, putting the other two orbs into Sir Finley's box.

When they were done, Mathias lit their torch again. The tunnel on the other side of the transportation pad wasn't going to have got any more brightly lit in their absence. The trip back out to the surface was as uneventful as the trip in and they avoided the same pressure plate traps with ease.

"Back to the _Arva_ , lads," Flynn said. "She's due northwest from here." He struck out following their landmarks in that direction, and they followed him. It would be the better part of a day before they got back to the ship.

They hadn't traveled long, moving between two broken pieces of glacier, when Mathias heard the unwelcome sound of scale on stone in the distance. He turned to look as Finley pointed. "Naga!" Finley said, drawing his machete.

There were a fair number approaching at speed, but between the three of them he knew they could handle the situation. Naga moved faster than humans in this kind of terrain so trying to outrun them was useless.

"Die, landwalkers!" the lead naga screamed, flinging a javelin and drawing a sword. It landed near Mathias's foot and their little group split, running to engage the Naga hand to hand in hopes of avoiding more ranged weaponry.

"They really need to get more creative with their battlecries," Flynn said, gutting a Naga with a vicious slash of one cutlass. Blood sprayed everywhere and Flynn danced in Mathias's direction, graceful as he dodged and blocked the blows aimed at him.

The icy ground was slick and the loose stones didn't help. Finley slashed at tails, while Flynn and Mathias cut and stabbed higher. Mathias could see more naga coming. They'd be a little worn by the time the trailing group arrived, but if they could take out enough of the first wave quickly, they'd be all right.

They formed a tight circle, back to back, blades out to keep the naga at bay. As they fought, he heard Flynn curse. "Tidemother!" Before Mathias could react, he heard a shot. Flynn's back slammed into him and Flynn grunted, tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain, bleeding badly.

"Flynn!" Distracted, Mathias spun to try to figure out where the shot had come from. 

"Red Blades! Vampire pirates." Finley snapped. "I dealt with them in Stormheim." 

There were over a dozen of the things advancing on them, cutlasses drawn. The same bastards that Detheroc had recruited using Mathias's face in the Broken Isles to kill Amber Kearnen. He saw the one who'd shot Flynn reloading his pistol. Mathias slit the wrist of the naga swinging at him, nearly taking its hand off, then shadowstepped to the thing that had shot Flynn, cutting its throat and ducking the swing of another pirate's weapon. There were too damned many.

"Finley, go! We can't fight them all! Get back to the ship and _get out of here_!"

"But--" Finley stabbed another naga.

"The mission comes first -- _go_!" Mathias ordered. He shadowstepped back to a naga that raised its spear over Flynn, intent on skewering him, and jammed a blade into its armpit.

To his credit, Finley did as he was told, swinging at anything in his way as he ran, his pack firmly shouldered. Mathias took a hard slash to his side. It cut through his coat, knocked him back, and left a bleeding gash from his ribs to his waist. The blow would have split him open without the extra protection from the leather greatcoat. He spun on the ice and gravel, Flynn's blood at his feet, his own running down his side, and stabbed the bastard who'd got him. 

There was no hope for him or Flynn to survive this many. Flynn would bleed out soon if he wasn't patched up, but Mathias could at least give Finley time to escape. Teeth gritted, he let fury and despair drive him; revenge for Flynn, and for Amber. Flynn's pained, gasping breaths shuddered in Mathias's ears and the bitter copper scent of blood filled his lungs. His body moved by instinct, a lifetime of honed technique laying out enemy after enemy as they rushed him. Moments later, Finley was out of sight and Mathias put his full focus into killing. They would die here, but Mathias would make sure they had an honor guard to escort them into the next world.


	4. A Welcome Reprieve

Mathias spun and shadowstepped and dodged, kicking anything he couldn't stab if it got too close to Flynn. He'd used all his throwing knives. The circle of corpses around them grew, but there were too many still standing, too many closing in. Flynn groaned and rolled to his side, clutching his abdomen as he gasped for breath. Mathias's enemies were more cautious now, after the first rush, trying to stay out of the reach of his daggers. He stood over his fallen lover, panting and trying to keep his attention everywhere at once. 

It was never going to work. As he tired, he took more hits, the thick winter coat blunting only some of them. By now, Flynn had passed out, limp beneath him, still bleeding. Mathias would never have time to mourn him. He was exhausted, his chest aching, every damned one of his wounds crying out in agony as he bled from a dozen places.

Among the cries of attacking naga and pirates, Mathias heard a new sound, and his heart froze in his chest. The gutteral gurgling battlecries of murlocs and the clatter of crab claws sounded behind him. He wiped blood from his eyes with one wrist and turned to face the new wave of disaster that bore down on him, only to see Sir Finley leading the murloc swarm, mounted on a battlecrab, waving his machete over his head to direct the tiny army.

It was over in minutes, the murlocs swarming everything, shredding nagas and pirates alike as they screamed and gurgled. In the silence after the battle, Mathias could only hear his own sharp panting breath as he wobbled in place, exhausted. "Flynn," he gasped, reaching out to Finley.

Finley garbled in Nerglish, directing the unlikely rescue party, and brought the largest battlecrab to Mathias. "Here," he said. "Mount up and we'll hoist him up to you. Murloc healing isn't terribly efficient but it should keep Captain Fairwind from bleeding to death before I can return with Firebeard."

The healer. Mathias nodded and slung himself onto the broad carapace of the crab, cradling Flynn's limp form in his arms as the murlocs handed him up. He was still breathing, thank the Light. Trembling, Mathias unwound his green wool scarf from his neck and pressed it into the gunshot wound, trying to stanch the bleeding.

Finley rode out as fast as the battlecrab could carry him, a second large crab in tow, the late afternoon fading to evening around them. The murlocs led Mathias's crab at a quick pace toward their little coastal village. Its eight-legged gait was so smooth he barely realized they were moving. He was grateful for the gentle motion, because he didn't think Flynn would be able to take much jostling. He held Flynn close, numb in the aftermath of battle.

On crabback, the village wasn't far. He couldn't speak to the murlocs, nor they to him, but Finley had apparently given them sufficient information that they knew what to do. He gently handed Flynn down from the crab into waiting hands, and they carried him into a small cave out of the wind. Mathias dismounted and staggered after them, pain, exhaustion, and blood loss starting to catch up with him.

At least they were out of the wind. Murlocs wouldn't have anything resembling a blanket, and it was going to get cold once darkness fell. Colder. Fucking freezing. Several murlocs started looking Flynn over, and Mathias did his best to stay out of the way, nervous as they ripped the man's clothing open to get at the gaping wound.

Soon, they had stopped the bleeding and bound Flynn's worst wounds with bandages of seaweed. Satisfied, they backed away. Mathias pulled his single small crimson vial of healing potion from his pouch, tilting Flynn's head and letting it trickle in, making sure he swallowed most of it. Moments later, Flynn's pained breathing eased somewhat. It wasn't nearly enough, but it was all he could do.

The murloc medics tugged at Mathias's clothing after that. He let them. He was bleeding as well, and needed patching up himself. He'd not be able to take care of Flynn until Firebeard arrived unless he managed to stay conscious. They bound the worst of his wounds and brought him large shells filled with fresh water. He drank gratefully, then tried to get some into Flynn.

Once Mathias felt a little steadier, he arranged Flynn as comfortably as he could and gathered material for a fire. It took time, and more energy than he had to spare, but he wasn't going to let either of them freeze to death before they could get back to the ship. Two of the murlocs saw what he was doing and helped him gather dry things, bringing them into the cave for him. Before he met Finley, he'd not have imagined they'd be quite that clever, though most murloc tribes had little wooden or bamboo structures to ward off the worst of wind and rain. Now, he knew better.

He started a fire in the cave, knowing he'd have to stay awake to tend it himself. It was going to be a painful, miserable night. Flynn lay on the bare sand. His wounds might be bound, but Mathias was terrified to move him, lest he open them again and cause the bleeding to restart. Once the fire was going well enough not to need constant tending, Mathias lay next to his lover, covering him as gently as he could with his own aching body, trying to keep him warm. He'd probably be in a fever by morning, but there was nothing else Mathias could do.

His night was painful, cold, and restless. His shin ached from its old break. Memories of his long imprisonment in the Broken Isles haunted him, wrenched out of their burial by the Red Blade crew's appearance. His wounds were painful, and the salt in the seaweed bandages was irritating. The blood in their clothing dried and stiffened, and part of Mathias's hair was matted with it. He wanted a healer, a bath, and a bed. A drink, at least, to numb some of the pain. Light, he wanted to be warm again. His pack and Flynn's had been abandoned where they were attacked; they were light and contained food and supplies, but no change of clothing. There would be blankets, though. Mathias sighed. There was no way to ask the murlocs to get the packs for him, and he'd been far too focused on fighting and Flynn's survival when they came swarming over the rise to think of anything else.

A few hours before dawn, Flynn's body started warming quickly. Fever had come. He hoped it wouldn't burn through what little strength Flynn had left before Thurin came. The dwarf and Finley would no doubt start out at the first sign of light, but it would likely take a few hours after that to get to the murloc village. He waited, silent, watching over his lover, heart aching. Flynn's hair grew wet with sweat and he moaned quietly, growing restless in his sleep.

"Hold on, Flynn," he murmured, miserable, brushing sweat-drenched hair from the man's forehead. "You're not allowed to die on my watch. I won't have it, do you understand?"

Flynn said nothing, his face twitching with pain.

When dawn came, Flynn was still with him, still feverish. The murloc medics arrived to change the seaweed bandages on their wounds. Flynn moaned through the procedure, thrashing weakly, and Mathias had to hold his limbs to keep him from doing harm to himself. The sounds he made broke Mathias's heart, and when the murlocs were finished, he cautiously took Flynn into his arms and held him close, even knowing it could injure him. He had to hold him. If Flynn died of the fever before Thurin arrived, at least he'd wouldn't die alone on the cold ground.

The murlocs brought him water again, and he helped Flynn drink a little before he had any himself, holding the shell to his unconscious lover's lips. Setting the shell aside, he rested his forehead against Flynn's and ran his fingers through Flynn's damp hair. He hoped the man could feel enough through his pain to take some comfort from it.

Sooner than he expected, Thurin and Finley arrived, bustling into the cave. Thurin dropped a pack and knelt next to them. "Oh, the poor lad. He's been hard done by. We're lucky I got here in time."

"Please," Mathias said, aching and desperate, "don't let him die."

"Let's get him laid out flat so I can treat him." The three of them carefully shifted Flynn onto his back in the sand. Thurin's thick hands moved, gentle but swift, to examine the bandaging and run his hands over Flynn's feverish body. "This'll take time, Shaw, and he'll not be fit to move back to the _Arva_ until at least tomorrow, afterwards."

Sir Finley dug in the pack and produced a blanket, shaking it out and wrapping it around Mathias's shoulders. "Here. Warm up, old chum. I've brought some hot green tea from Yun." Mathias tugged the blanket around himself as Thurin took a deep breath and started to move the Light, working on Flynn. He took the proffered container of hot tea when Finley handed it to him, sipping and letting it slowly warm him.

Once Finley was satisfied that Mathias was as comfortable as he could be under the circumstances, he went out and gabbled something at the murlocs. One of them mounted up on a crab and rode out. "I've sent her for your packs," Finley said. "Best not to leave them behind.

"Thank you. What's the _Arva_ 's status?" He drank more, trembling with an exhaustion that was as much emotional as physical.

The little murloc sat next to him and patted his knee. "First Mate Miller and some of the other crewmembers have taken it upon themselves to find and destroy the Red Blade vessel. We don't know what they were doing this far from their usual territory and are hoping to discover why they were here. We hope this will also remove any threat of pursuit from the remaining Red Blade crew." 

Mathias nodded. "Good. One less thing to worry about. With any luck the Red Blade won't know they're coming until it's too late." He sighed and looked out of the cave over the shallow, rocky waters beyond the murloc settlement. He wanted every one of those bastards dead. He, Flynn, and Finley would have prevailed when their only enemies had been the naga. The Red Blade had murdered Amber Kearnen and nearly cost Flynn his life and it lay like a burning stone in Mathias's gut. His past was never going to let him escape.

His entire life had been dedicated to killing. There was more blood on his hands than could ever be washed away and he'd killed or ordered the deaths of more people than he could remember. Most of those, he was sure, had been for a good cause, for the right reasons. He should have been numb to death by now, immune to an emotional reaction to it, but this was _Flynn_. He swallowed roughly and turned his face back to his lover, taking Flynn's limp hand in his own and squeezing as Thurin worked.

"It must be… quite difficult," Finley gurgled, quiet, watching him. Mathias nodded, silent.

"We'll get him through this, Shaw, don't worry," Thurin said, not looking up from his focused work. "I promise ye, he'll live."

Mathias set the empty tea vessel down and huddled into the blanket around him, shifting slightly closer to Flynn and Thurin, and wrapped his arms around his knees. Finley added wood to the fire. He closed his eyes and tried to rest, Flynn's hand clasped in his own.

What felt like hours later, Thurin finally sat back from Flynn's limp body. "Fever's broken and I've managed to repair most of the internal damage, but I'll need to work on him again in a few hours." He took a deep breath and sighed it out. "It was bad, and I won't lie to ye about it. Another hour or so and it woulda been too late for him. As it is, we'll have him back aboard the _Arva_ tomorrow and we can set sail for Stormwind."

Mathias nodded. "I'm grateful. Do you have any idea when he'll wake?"

Thurin shrugged. "Couple of hours, I think. The lad needs rest and he'll need proper food and drink when he does. He'll have to build up his strength again, and that'll take time." The dwarf moved over and sat next to Mathias. "And after I've had a snack to restore me mana, I'll see to you as well."

With a sigh, Mathias said, "All right."

Thurin patted Mathias's shoulder. "Safe to move him a bit now. Physical contact'll likely help the both of you. _After_ I've patched you." Thurin dug in his pack and pulled out a sandwich, making short work of it. Mathias just gently stroked Flynn's arm as he waited. "Right, then," Thurin said, brushing crumbs from his greying beard when he finished. "Let's have a look at ye."

Mathias shed the blanket and let Thurin examine his wounds. He didn't take his eyes off Flynn's still form. "It's always worse when it's someone ye love, laddie." Thurin's voice was soft and gentle. His broad hands were on him and the warmth of the Light spread through Mathias's body, slowly easing the pain and stiffness he felt.

By the time Thurin was done, the smallest of Mathias's wounds were gone without a trace, and the worst was only a smooth scar down his side. He ate what Thurin handed him, not tasting it, though his body appreciated being fed. "You should wash off some of that blood, Shaw. You'll feel better."

Mathias sighed. The healer was right. The blood in his hair had hardened and pasted it to the side of his head, prickly and nasty. Finley had returned by then and was heating water for him in a small pot over the fire. The murloc brought it to him with a cloth and Mathias did his best to clean up, but he was still desperately in need of a bath. Once he'd washed away some of the blood, he wrapped himself in the blanket again. Thurin and Finley left to scout the area and keep watch for any encroaching naga.

He turned his attention to Flynn, who was still far too pale after losing so much blood. His face was no longer tight with pain and his breathing was soft and nearly normal. Mathias slipped an arm beneath his shoulders and gently slid behind him, resting Flynn's head on his shoulder and tucking his legs to either side of the man to hold him close in the circle of his arms. He pressed a kiss to Flynn's head and let the tears fall that he'd been desperately holding back. There was no one to see, no one to care that Mathias Shaw, the cold, relentless head of SI:7, was weeping over his injured lover.

With Flynn folded into his arms, Mathias was warm, fed, and knew that backup was nearby. He let himself sleep.

*** 

Mathias finally bestirred himself to get up, move around, and relieve himself while Thurin worked on Flynn again later that day. The afternoon was brilliantly sunny with only a mild breeze, though still bitterly cold. He walked north along the coast for a couple of miles, thinking about what Thurin had said. _It's worse when it's someone you love._

He'd had friends before, when he was younger -- Edwin. Baros. 

Edwin, whom Mathias had known all his life, whom he'd taught every detail of the assassin's brutal arts in the hope of recruiting him. Edwin, who'd attempted to destroy Stormwind, the very city he'd rebuilt.

Baros, who'd died on Draenor without ever calling in the favor Mathias had owed him.

The loss of both had hurt, though for different reasons. He sighed and shook his head. Mathias had fucked any number of people, some for information, others purely for the physical pleasure of it, but love… that was something he'd denied himself. The youngest member of the Assassin's Guild could never afford that kind of attachment. The Master of SI:7 couldn't afford that kind of attachment.

Mathias Shaw, the man, found himself needing, wanting. Valeera Sanguinar had encouraged him in it, before he'd been ready to speak to Flynn. Before Nazmir. _Happiness is a fleeting thing. Find it while you can, Shaw._

He'd reached out to Flynn when he got home, after that warm, desperate hug on the deck of the vrykul merchantman, in front of the King and the Lord Admiral. Flynn had reached joyfully back, enveloping him in warmth. Fuck caution, fuck slow, fuck what he'd told Valeera; he'd been desperately miserable and alone and he'd told himself it was just the price of being who and what he was. He'd repressed it for decades until it was suffocating him. Flynn was so good at finding joy in the moment, and Mathias… Mathias wasn't. Shaw knew duty and loyalty and far, far too much loneliness. He didn't think he could legitimately say he'd ever been happy before Flynn. The entire concept had been alien to him, barely worth contemplating.

The stones of the beach crunched under his feet as cold waves lapped at the rocky shore. The salt breeze rumbled in his ears and fluttered through his hair and he thought of Flynn, running his fingers through it at night when they lay together. He closed his eyes, chest tightening, and clenched his fist for a moment, struggling for control.

Love. Did he even have a right to it, after everything he'd done in his life? His failures were catastrophic, his misjudgments disasters. The only thing he could give the man was an aging body and inherited trouble. There would be people amused by the fact that the Spymaster had finally taken a lover, eager to use him as leverage, or as revenge. Eager to hurt Fairwind so that they could hurt Shaw and, through him, potentially the Alliance itself.

He turned and headed back toward the murloc village. It was too late to walk away from Flynn now and he was too weak to even want to at this point. They'd been together for a month, public and visible, in Stormwind before they shipped out. Any damage on that front was already done, and all Mathias could do was prepare to deal with the fallout when it inevitably arrived. Flynn was a capable fighter, a competent captain, and had friends in high places now, far different from his orphaned childhood and his time as a pirate. The one useful thing Mathias did have in all this was power, and he'd use every shred of it to protect Flynn. He would gladly guard the man with his life.

When he was most of the way back to the village, a curl of smoke in the distance caught his eye. It wasn't rising from where the _Arva_ lay at anchor, but in the same direction. As he walked, he heard the distant rumble of explosions like thunder on the horizon and the smoke grew slowly thicker, eventually becoming a dark column against the sky. It rose high, ultimately striking a layer of moving air above that dispersed the highest point of it. He sighed and ran, needing to consult with Thurin and Finley.

They were standing in the village when Mathias arrived, gazing at the smoke themselves. "Master Shaw," Thurin greeted him.

"The crew?" Mathias asked.

Thurin nodded. "Aye, I think so. They must have finally got rid of that Red Blade lot and searched the ship."

"If it's attracted our attention, no doubt every naga on the island is aware of it as well." Despite the visibility of it, the only thing he felt was relief at the destruction of that one small, cursed fragment of his past.

"While that is true," Finley said, "I should venture the opinion that the _Arva_ 's guns are perfectly capable of discouraging too much attention from that quarter. Two six-pounders could be regarded as a strong disincentive."

Thurin chuckled. "And there are rifles, gnome gadgets, and goblin explosives on the table there, as well."

Mathias nodded. It was true. There were only a finite number of naga on the island and, logistically speaking, the crew of the _Bold Arva_ had a distinct advantage. "Agreed. The crew can no doubt take care of themselves until we return tomorrow and set sail."

"Fairwind's doing better. Not awake yet, but probably will be soon. No doubt he'll be relieved to find you there when he does," Thurin said, patting Mathias on the back.

"Thank you, I'll go watch over him."

"Good lad. I'll go set meself up a tent for the night."

Mathias took himself to the cavern and ducked inside. Flynn looked like he'd finally been dragged back from the brink of death, and Mathias breathed out some of the fear and anxiety he'd been carrying, his heart lighter now. He sat with Flynn, back braced against the stone, and took the man into his arms, burying his face in Flynn's long, bloodied hair.

He thought about the future. About their future.

An hour or so later, Flynn moaned and stirred in Mathias's arms. He'd been drowsing, content just to hold the man until he woke, and his eyes opened. He was watching when Flynn's did.

"M'thias." Flynn's voice was a raw croak.

He pressed a kiss to Flynn's forehead. "Flynn. How do you feel?"

Flynn coughed and moaned. "Like… th' first day of… three day hangover."

Mathias chuckled. "Those exist?"

"Ohhhh, yes." He groaned and shifted in Mathias's embrace.

Mathias brushed hair from Flynn's face. "You've had a rough time of it. Just rest. We're not going anywhere until tomorrow morning. Are you hungry?"

Flynn nodded. "Thirsty."

"Thurin!" Mathias helped Flynn to sit up, slow and careful.

The dwarf poked his head into the cavern. "Oh, yer up! Welcome back!" Thurin grinned through his thick, greying red beard.

"He could use some food and water."

"I'll have Finley heat up some soup. Y'don't want to put anything too solid in there right now. It'll be a couple of days before yer digestion's back on track after that lead ball ye took. You were a right mess, laddie. Be careful ye don't mess up all my hard work."

Mathias helped Flynn with the soup, as he was still weak and unsteady. Flynn's hands shook, but he did his best. When he was done, Flynn let Mathias set the bowl aside and slumped against him, resting his head on Mathias's shoulder with Mathias's arm wrapped around him. He sighed.

Thurin came in with a mug in his hand. "For you, Captain. Some ale."

"You sure he should be having that right now?" Mathias asked, as Flynn reached out for it.

"Good for what ails ye. That's why they call it ale." Thurin handed it to them. "'Sides, it's watered down a bit. Wouldn't do to get him all potted, would it?"

"Tides bless you," Flynn muttered, drinking it down with Mathias helping steady his hand. They handed him back the mug. 

"Make sure he sleeps."

Mathias nodded. "Of course." Thurin departed and the two of them curled up together again. Flynn tucked his head under Mathias's chin. Nuzzling Flynn, Mathias murmured, "I love you." His heart hammered in his chest. The words felt strange to say aloud.

Flynn chuckled under his breath, but didn't move. "Thought so, but never thought I'd hear you say it."

"Well, now you have." 

Flynn ran a hand over Mathias's chest and rested it over his heart. "Now I have."

"Get some sleep," Mathias whispered. "We're heading back to the _Arva_ in the morning."


	5. Down to the Sea Again

Flynn still felt like utter shit the next morning, but he was a bit stronger, at least. Thurin worked him over one last time before they all mounted up on the crabs to head back to the _Bold Arva_. One murloc from the village went with them, to bring the crabs home.

He rode clinging to Mathias's back like a barnacle, his head resting on Mathias's strong shoulder, exhausted and dizzy. The trip was uneventful and much shorter than Flynn had thought it might be, much to his relief. Bess brought them aboard on the rowboat, where he needed help to get up the ladder to the ship herself, then Flynn and Mathias headed for the captain's cabin.

"First Mate, report," Flynn snapped as he staggered along, supported by Mathias. 

"Aye, Cap'n. Gotta grab something first. Be right there." She scurried in the direction of her cabin.

Mathias helped Flynn lie down on his bunk. Oh, Tides, what a relief that was. He hoped he wouldn't pass out from exhaustion before he got Sonya's report. Mathias passed a cold hand over Flynn's forehead and kissed him, then Sonya entered the cabin. He leaned up on his elbows as she approached.

"We got all those Red Blade bastards that took you down, Cap'n." She proffered a book to Mathias. "Got the ship's logbook and charts, and her treasure, then set her alight. Grixx made with the fireworks. We watched her burn to the waterline in your honor."

"A commendable sentiment," Flynn said as Mathias opened the logbook. "I'm touched."

"I read the log over last night," Sonya continued. "They set upon a Horde ship about a week ago. It was a blood elf ship."

Mathias looked up at her. "The Reliquary."

"Aye." Sonya nodded. "They saw what she was after and, when they sent her down to Neptulon, they figured they'd find and take any Titan artifacts for themselves. You know they'd bring a pretty copper in any of the free ports."

"They would," Mathias said, eyes narrowing. "You did well, Miller. I'll be certain to mention this in my report to the King when we return to Stormwind."

"What treasure did you bring aboard?" Flynn asked, getting straight to the meat of it. Information was wonderful, but gold put dinner on the table and paid your portage and drydock fees.

"Charts with some of their sanctuary ports and safe harbors marked." Mathias looked up at that, all sharp, dangerous attention. Flynn suspected they wouldn't be quite so safe for the Red Blade anymore. "Most of their powder and two small chests," she said with a smile. "Gold coins, gems, and some archaeological finds from the blood elf ship. Valuable stuff. We made out well. No stores, given they were vampires and didn't need food as you'd think of it."

"Prisoners?" Mathias asked.

She shook her head. "We didn't leave a one of those bastards alive. They'd held a few blood elves in the hold, likely from the Horde ship, but they were all dead. Drained. I imagine they thought they'd be snacking on us for their voyage home." Sonya shuddered. "Not one I'd be eager to make."

"I can imagine," Flynn said, shuddering with her. Not a happy idea in the least. "Stores replenished?"

"Aye. Yun's got everything stowed and we're topped up on fresh water."

Flynn slid down onto his back and let his head drop onto the pillow, feeling like the wrong end of a quillboar. Actually, he wasn't sure there was a right end of a quillboar. When he spoke, it was hard to control the shattered wobble of his voice. "Well, then, Miss Miller, I'm on the binnacle list today. Would you do the honors and take us out?"

She grinned. "Of course, Cap'n. Get some rest. We'll let you know if anything needs your attention."

"Fantastic. Dismissed." He waved her away with a tired flop of his hand.

"Aye aye." Sonya turned and trotted out to get the ship underway.

Mathias had been skimming the logbook during the First Mate's report. "Anduin will need to see this. The Horde is likely to think we sunk their ship otherwise."

"Last thing I want," Flynn grumbled. "Trouble with the Horde." The boatswain's whistle signaled to raise the anchor, and the shouts of the crew and the sound of the anchor chain and the sails being unfurled comforted him in his pain and exhaustion.

He'd been resting half asleep for almost an hour when Flynn snapped awake to the boatswain's whistle, signaling enemies on the approach. Mathias startled beside him as Flynn bolted to his feet and staggered for the door with a pained grunt.

"What's wrong?" Mathias followed him anxiously.

"We've got trouble." Flynn dashed out onto the deck and shouted up to the crow's nest. "Who and how many?" He kept moving toward the quarterdeck.

"Kvaldir! Not sure yet if one or two, but they're closing fast!" 

Head spinning, Flynn stumbled up the stairs to the wheel, where Sonya was staring ahead. "We're in treacherous waters, Cap'n." She pointed. The iceberg field that had been near their anchorage had drifted far enough south that it was now ahead of them, spread as obstacles. Flynn noted that they'd changed configuration, so it hadn't been one massive berg, but a flotilla of small ones.

"They must have been drawn by the smoke when you burned the Red Blade vessel," Mathias said.

"Neptulon's tentacles," Flynn spat, "I've got the conn." 

"Conn's yours, Cap'n." Sonya stepped away from the wheel. 

Flynn took the wheel in his hands, forcing his mind and body to cooperate. "Boatswain, sound battle stations!" Sparks blew the sharp command and everyone ran. He reached for whatever strength he could muster. Time to be Captain Fairwind.

"Gunnies, guns to port and roll 'em out! Finley, if you've got it in you, go powder monkey for 'em!"

"With alacrity!" Finley responded, dashing after the Kul Tiran brothers.

"If you're with the crew, you're going aloft, Mister Shaw, otherwise get below." Mathias bolted for the rigging. "Time to earn your share!"

Flynn turned to the Tidesage. "Tidewalker, we'll have to take her through the icebergs." He spun the wheel, making for a gap between two of the larger ones. The motion shot pain through his still healing wounds. "Reef the sails!" Flynn shouted, "Make way for the Tidesage!" He didn't want the sails fighting the Tidesage's current, so they were shortened to keep them from catching too much wind. He pointed toward a streak of dark blue water between the aqua shapes of the shallows, where ice lay below the waves. "Give me a current to put us through there," he said. He was _not_ looking forward to this. It was going to be tight as a gnome's knickers.

"Harpoons incoming!" Sparks shouted. Flynn looked back toward their pursuers, his head swimming. Definitely two of them. Flaming harpoons came flying toward the _Arva_ but fell short, splashing into the sea not far from their stern. They'd be closer soon and they'd get the _Arva_ 's range and that? That was going to be trouble of the worst kind. A fire at sea was every sailor's nightmare.

"Steady as she goes," he said, bringing them in. The closer they drew to the narrow channel between the two largest peaks, the more uneasy he got, but he held the wheel with a hand like iron, and Tidewalker kept the current that drove them straight as a spar.

Flynn was sweating and leaning hard on the wheel to stay upright, but damn it, the _Bold Arva_ was _his_ ship and crew, and he'd bring them through this if it was the last thing he did. They entered the deep blue line of water between the tall, icy peaks, and Flynn held his breath, not wanting to deviate even a single degree. Striking the ice would scupper her, and they'd all die when she sank.

When they were nearly all the way through, Flynn said, "When I give the word, I want you to slap that ice together as hard as you can. Got it, Tidewalker?" It was an insane request, but their only real hope.

"Aye aye, Captain, I'll do my best." Her hands were cast wide as she bent the currents to her will, sweat breaking out on her face as she pushed.

They cleared the channel three minutes later, with harpoons falling around them, blazing into the ice and the frigid waves. The kvaldir ships followed them, gaining with every moment. They'd got the _Arva_ 's range now, and two of the flaming harpoons struck her deck. Yun and Thurin ran to deal with them.

"Raise the sails!" Flynn shouted, as they came free of the bergs. "Give me some wind!"

The _Arva_ shuddered as the sails caught, and Flynn steered her sharp to avoid the smaller ice in front of them. "Bring her about to port! Gunners at the ready!" The boatswain's whistle relayed his command. The ship listed as she turned in a smooth arc.

The kvaldir ships were in the channel as Flynn showed them her broadside, cannons loaded and ready. "Aim for the icebergs! Aim high!"

A moment later he heard, "Ready, Captain!"

"Now, Tidewalker!" The Tidesage dropped her arms and turned like a pandaren monk, swaying. She raised her hands up in an arc as she leaned back, weight on one leg, pulling the water, then slammed them together, dragging the bergs with her motion in a horrendous, shrieking groan of ice. They slammed into the two kvaldir ships, and Flynn could hear the shattering of their hulls and the screams of their crews. It was a horrifying sound. Bess gasped for breath and wobbled before she fell to her knees, drained.

"Fire!" The whistle blew the signal and both of the six-pounders fired. The _Arva_ lurched as the weight of the vessel tried to compensate for the force of the shots. The cannonballs flew and struck true, shattering the peaks of the bergs and bringing the mountains of ice down on the damaged kvaldir ships.

It was done. The kvaldir were sunk and the _Arva_ out of danger.

Flynn dropped like a stone to the deck and passed out.

***

Flynn faded back into consciousness in the dim comfort of his quarters, early morning light coming in through the portholes. Mathias was sitting on the bunk next to him, his short red hair limned in light, one hand idly combing through Flynn's hair.

"Mlrrg."

Mathias tilted an eyebrow at him. "If you want to learn Nerglish, I'm sure Sir Finley would be willing to teach you." Flynn's everything hurt, and he moaned, flopping one hand in a vague attempt to swat Mathias. "If you intend to hit me, you really need to do better than that."

"Wha'happ'n?" Flynn muttered. 

"It's tomorrow. You and Tidewalker hit the deck side by side after that performance. She's fine, by the way, just needed a couple of hours sleep and a huge meal afterwards. _You_ , on the other hand--" Mathias glared at him. "You scared the shit out of everyone. What kind of stunt was that, taking command when you were barely on your feet?"

Flynn's head rolled to one side so he could look at Mathias a little more clearly. "You hopped to when I called you Mister Shaw."

Mathias sighed. "And I would again if I had to. But I swear by the Light I will strangle you myself if you ever try anything like that again."

Flynn offered a crooked, apologetic smile. "She's my ship. My responsibility. Had to keep her in one piece and Sonya wouldn't have known what to do."

"So she said. They've inducted me into the crew, by the way. Said I was officially a member of the _Bold Arva_ and no longer just your 'beloved bedwarmer.'" He only looked vaguely annoyed by that.

Flynn snorted a soft laugh. "You could be both. Both is good."

"Flynn." Mathias shook his head. "You terrified me." He took Flynn's hand and held on tightly. "You've nearly _died_ twice on this mission. And I understand why you did it and it still fucking terrified me. The thought of losing you shakes me to my soul." Mathias turned and lay next to him, wrapping Flynn in his arms and burying his face in Flynn's shoulder. "I love you, and I know that someday that's going to destroy me."

Flynn's smile died on his lips. "Mathias." He held him close.

"I've never loved anyone before. Learning how to do this is like walking a tightrope. Light, walking a tightrope is easier because if I fall, the only one hurt will be me."

"Everyone dies eventually," Flynn murmured. "We both know that. We've both seen too much of it. You have to grab hold of what you want with both hands and not let go. Be here with me now, because someday one of us will die, and there won't be a damned thing the other can do about it. Just… love me and let me love you, and we'll hold onto that as tight as we can. We'll make every Tides-forsaken moment count, because this is… this is all we get, love. This one chance to make a little happiness for ourselves. And when the end comes, we'll know we've done our best. And we'll make some amazing memories together to warm us when the other's gone."

Mathias shuddered in his arms. After a few moments, Flynn realized he was weeping, silent, and he pressed kisses into his lover's hair over and over. "It's all right," he whispered. "I love you, too. We're here, together, right now. We're warm and safe and…" Flynn gave himself a quick once over. "...and clean and we're on our way back to Stormwind. We have time, love. I promise you, we have time."

Mathias struggled with it for a moment before he got his breathing back under control; he looked up at Flynn with damp, bloodshot green eyes, then kissed him, fierce and possessive. "I'm not letting go of you."

"That'll be a little awkward when we have to go present our report to the King."

Mathias stared at him for a moment then collapsed on Flynn's chest and giggled helplessly. "You… you're ridiculous. And beautiful. And ridiculous."

"But mostly ridiculous." He smiled, pleased he'd broken Mathias's dark mood. "I should get up if I'm allowed, because I'm starving." He was also still exhausted and in pain, but it wasn't as bad as what he remembered from before he'd passed out.

***

Mathias, Flynn, and Sir Finley all stood before the King in his private audience chamber, the box with the Titan orbs on the table before them. "And this is the ship's log that I mentioned in my report, Your Majesty, procured by First Mate Miller," Mathias said, laying the Red Blade logbook on the table next to the box. "The missing Horde Reliquary expedition was set upon by the Red Blade, all aboard killed, and the ship scuttled. The Red Blade crew then followed their navigational notes and eventually found our expedition."

"Was a bit stressful when they found us," Flynn added.

King Anduin nodded. "I read Master Shaw's reports. Are you well now, Captain Fairwind?"

Flynn shrugged. "Still a bit sore, but I'll be shipshape again soon enough, Your Majesty."

"You'll be taking the orbs to Magni tomorrow, Sir Finley?"

The murloc nodded. "There's a great deal of work yet to be done," he gurgled. "I was only able to access one of the orbs. Unfortunately, resources were not available aboard the _Bold Arva_ for a translation effort. I'm sure that M.O.T.H.E.R. can offer some insight."

"The other two are still inactive, then." Anduin took one from the box and turned it this way and that. 

Mathias tensed, one hand twitching at his side as he resisted the urge to snatch the thing from the King's hand. "Your Majesty--"

Finley watched anxiously as the King examined the orb, one little red finger raised. "It may be that their data was lost, but it is at least vaguely possible that they can be reactivated, under the proper circumstances. For the moment, all we have to work with is the active unit. Speaker Magni will have more insight, I'm certain." He cleared his throat. "If Your Majesty would return the orb to the box…"

Anduin looked up. "Ah, yes. My apologies. I'm afraid my curiosity got the better of me."

Mathias and Finley both relaxed when he set it down.

Anduin picked up the logbook. "I'll see to it that a copy of this is made and the original delivered to High Chieftain Bloodhoof. It should absolve the _Bold Arva_ and all of you of any potential responsibility for the Horde expedition's disappearance."

"Thanks awfully," Flynn said. "Quite a relief, that."

"Captain Fairwind, Sir Finley, you may both go. I need to speak to Master Shaw privately now. We won't be long." Anduin closed the box with the orbs and handed it back to Finley. Both of them thanked the King, bowed, and made their exit, leaving Mathias alone with Anduin.

The King gestured to the chairs by his desk. "Have a seat, Shaw." Mathias sat, as Anduin requested. "Your reports painted a picture of a very stressful mission. Are both of you all right? Genuinely?"

Mathias thought before he responded. "The Captain's still a little more fragile than he wants to admit. The ship's healer is good, but he was in… very bad shape by the time the healer arrived. I can't really recommend murloc medicine except under the most dire of circumstances."

"And this was dire."

"Flynn was dying." His voice was rough, and even the thought of it still shook him.

Anduin nodded. "The injuries you described him as sustaining were quite serious." He lifted the logbook in one hand. "The Red Blade. That must have added to the horror of it for you. The tone of your reports led me to think that you were not initially coping very well." 

Mathias couldn't meet the King's eyes, his chest tight. "I wasn't, that's true. I'm--"

"It's all right, Shaw. This isn't a criticism, it's concern on my part for both of you." Mathias looked up to find Anduin watching him closely. "Does he know?" He set the logbook back down.

Mathias shook his head. "No. How do you tell someone about a thing like that?"

"I think he might at least try to understand," Anduin said, his voice gentle. "He's been good for you. It's perfectly understandable that you'd react as you did."

"Thank you," Mathias murmured.

"I'm going to free up some time tomorrow, just after lunch. I want you to bring him by and I'll have a look at him myself. I'm fairly certain I can deal with any lingering effects of his ordeal."

"Your Majesty?" Mathias couldn't believe what was being offered.

"I'm serious, Shaw. I've seen you smile more since you met him than in the entire rest of my life before. You obviously care very deeply for him. The value of your service to me, to my father, and to the Alliance has been impossible to overstate. You've never asked for anything beyond what your position warrants, never for anything personal. Until you met him, you never even asked for a holiday. I can see that helping him is doing a service for you. Will you let me?"

"I-I'll ask him. Thank you."

"Let him take care of you, Shaw. The man wears his heart on his sleeve and it's obvious that he adores you."

Mathias couldn't help the blush he felt heating his cheeks. "I'll take that under advisement."

"You may go. I'll see you both tomorrow at one."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

***

Flynn dropped two large, heavy coin bags on the table in Mathias's apartment. 

"What's that?" Mathias asked.

"Your share of the treasure," Flynn said with a smile. "You're officially part of the crew, remember?"

"I get paid?" Mathias looked up, confused.

Flynn dropped a third bag next to them. "And this share is for being my beloved bedwarmer."

Mathias snorted. "I am not sleeping with you for _money_."

Flynn laughed. "I know. Three bags is your crew share. But you'd be worth it if you were."

"Flynn!" Mathias reached up and tugged Flynn down into his lap, kissing him soundly.

When they broke to breathe, Flynn said, "The whole crew's shipped over for the next voyage, whenever that happens. They were pleased with the treasure on top of the contract pay, and it was enough to keep them with me while we're looking for our next contract. If our next trip out goes well, I may have a permanent crew on my hands. I'll be taking the _Arva_ back to Boralus next week, but then I can get a portal back here -- much as I utterly despise the bloody things -- and stay with you until we've got some leads. Cyrus can keep me up by the post, and he said the Lord Admiral sent me a letter yesterday saying she has a proposal of sorts for me. I'll need to speak with her privately for details. And here I thought she knew you'd made an honest man of me." Flynn grinned. "Well, slightly more honest, anyway. Would hate to have to turn her down."

Mathias smiled for a moment, but it faded. He held him close. "How are we going to handle this?" he asked. "You at sea or in Boralus, and me here?"

Flynn regarded him for a moment, quiet. "I don't know, really. We'll work something out. Maybe we'll move the _Arva_ 's home port to Stormwind. Be here, at the center of the Alliance, where you'll be within arm's reach while I'm in port. Or, as you're better with portals than I am, you could come to Boralus and we could get a place there. But I know you don't like the weather much, and you'd be here every day anyway." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his compass, thumb caressing the cover idly.

"Boralus is your home."

Flynn shook his head. He opened the compass, looking down at the little folded grass heart bound to the inside of the cover. "The _Arva_ 's my home." He looked up at Mathias. "And you, my dear Master Shaw, are my home port."

Mathias kissed him again.


End file.
